When it comes to old Mopars, you can almost hear Forrest Gump reciting what his momma always said about life, it’s “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Old Mopars aren’t far from that, and we’ve all seen a variety of Mopars with engines never available for them originally. Except for a few instances, the Mopar crowd usually stays with the Pentastar when it comes to powertrains.

So when we came across this 1964 Plymouth Valiant on Craigslist with a transplanted 408 Stroker sprouting a pair of velocity-stack air cleaners through the hood, we just had to take a look. The 408 stroker has been one of the popular, and much more affordable, alternatives to the famed HEMI.

The LA motor that is the basis for this stroker entered the scene in 1967, replacing the earlier 273 and A engines. Adding a 4 inch crank to the 360 ci LA motor and turning it into a 408 ci beast, it’s become quite a potent and affordable solution to many muscle cars.

Sitting between the fenders of a ’64 Valiant, no less, this makes for one bad ass looking orphan. Sadly, not only did Ma Mopar leave Plymouth out to dry, so did the stroker that’s pictured with the Valiant, as it’s for sale separately.

Seeing how the car is pictured with the 408, it’s a little misleading and knowing the engine is not included begs the question: is a rolling chassis 1964 Valiant worth the $6500 asking price? They aren’t the most popular, but knowing that it’s already set up for an LA motor, and that it includes an A-833 4 speed with a plethora of performance goodies, including a Hurst Vertigate shifter, it’s worth a second look. All in all, it’s a pretty cool car. Dare we say, it made a Valiant effort, but still needs motivation.